Local Animal Control Officer

[GRLC]

Tonight whilst driving back from feeding my horse i noticed what seemed to be an American bulldog sitting at the side of a bus shelter , the dog was scared and was frozen sitting in the one spot . I got out to see if the dog would come to me if i called it (to make sure it wasn't injured ) dog wouldn't come it got up when a train went past then sat back down in the same spot frozen . I went a little closer to the dog and it was really unsure and scared and i could tell from it's body language that if i got any closer i may have been bitten . So i get home and give the local council dog control officer a call , mobile rings out continuously and theres a message to state that your call will only be answered after hours if it's an emergency and to leave a message . so i ring a couple more times hoping that they will pick up the phone cause they'd be sick of hearing it (no chance ) , leave a message ,20 minutes later they call back to state the dogs already been picked up today and it always goes to the bus stop and sits and it's not injured and the owner lives at such and such address and the dogs always out roaming . After discussing how concerned i was (repeatedly) that the dog maybe injured now or could end up injured (we live on a road where trucks travel quite frequently) i was told this dog does it all the time but one of our officers lives out that way so we'll get him to check on it on his way home (just to shut me up i think ) .

Is it normal for a animal control officer to be so unconcerned regarding a dogs well being and if this dog does it all the time then why have the owners not been reprimanded . The dog was showing clear signs to me that it was a little grumpy what if i was a child approaching the dog?, i dread to think what might of happened . Hopefully the council will keep to their word and check on the dog and it stays safe .

Sorry for the long post, i feel soo much better now i have got this off of my chest . i am always really concerned when i see a stray dog or animal .

[wolfgirl]

Good on you for caring obviously the council don't ;)

I find that appalling it is a accident waiting to happen this dog could either be hit while going to the bus stop or as you say an innocent child might approach the dog and it may bite out of fear.

If it were me I would ring the council in the morning and ask to speak to the officer in charge of animal control and talk to him about it and relay your concerns.

I wonder why the dog keeps going to the bus stop wonder if it is waiting for it's owner or something.

[Alfie02]

Hi GRLC,

I hope that that dog does get home ok and that the owners are given a fine and a talking to for letting him roam, especially on a busy street.

I too have had some not so good encounters with an animal controll ranger. I rang about a dog that was roaming about my house looking very scared and very thirsty, so i gave him some water and called the 'dog catcher' so they could come and collect him.

I was told that i should just let him go and what happens happens (i.e, if he gets run over to bad). Well I was so shocked that anyone would say this!. As I was young and living at home with my mum, when she found out she rang the ranger back and gave him an earfull. In the end, only because we wouldnt stop bothering them, the ranger came and picked up the dog, scanned him for a microchip (which luckily he had) and he was returned home that afternoon.

I could not beleive the attitude of the ranger in my area, actually im quite sure my mum wrote a letter to the councill after that .

[Kirty]

Our local council will only come and get a dog if you have caught it already. I once found a scared little dog running all over a major highway - it was an accident waiting to happen. The dog was too scared for me to catch so I called the council, hoping they'd come out with a catch pole. Nup, they told me to just leave it if I couldn't catch it. Useless.

[Monah]

Completely disgusting

I wonder about some councils and animal control officers, training levels , education etc. Mostly it seems to be appalling. Our local paper had a full page spread yesterday (good on them ) about pound dogs, the officer in the photo with one of the dogs said that the dog was available and a 'purebred Maltese Terrier Shiatsu'. and that there are many other purebred dogs in the pound It's scary.

I hope this poor dog is picked up and at home, how upsetting. An accident waiting to happen.

THese things need to be logged, as if and when it goes pear shaped, the council will be responsible along with the (*(*&^%%$% owner, who does not derserve a dog at all.